Last night was President Barack Obama’s first address to a joint session of Congress. Preliminary ratings say 33 million people watched on TV.

A handful of New Mexicans were in the House chambers for the remarks, including, of course, all five members of New Mexico’s delegation.
All Democrats, they gave the new president’s speech solid, if sobering reviews.

Sen. Tom Udall said, “President Obama spoke very candidly about the difficult and uncertain economic era facing the American people.”

Rep. Ben Ray Luján, who took over the seat that Udall vacated to become senator, said that though the new administration and Congress “inherited a difficult economic situation, Obama outlined a clear and responsible plan to get our economy back on track, put people first, and invest in America.”

Rep. Martin Heinrich said he shared Obama’s “optimistic view that we can create good jobs by investing in green energy, education, health care and restoring our infrastructure.”

For another view, see Michael Coleman’s blog post at the Albuquerque Journal.